10th ITF World Championships - Orlando 2008
Highly Successful UK Team in Orland 2008
Many of the UK team arrived in Orlando, Florida on Thursday 31st July in time for the start of the Championship on Friday August 1st. The UK Masters arrived in the early hours of Thursday time for the Masters seminar that started that day.
The Masters seminar was an intensive day of training covering the finer points of basic technique and Hyung, advanced Ho Sin Sul, Phyung Ill Soo Sik, Jang Bong and ended with special weapons training in the art of Gum Do. This long and exhausting day was truly inspirational, and set the tone for the rest of the Championship.
Friday 1st August started with Judges & Referees re-certification and qualification. This was closely followed by student seminars for all grades up to 3rd Dan. The evening of this day saw the opening rounds of the Team events (Hyung and Sparring). The day was capped by a special awards banquet. Everybody dressed smartly and enjoyed fine food while Master Joe Goss and Chun Jae Nim C. S. Kim presented awards to worthy members of the ITF.
UK Hyung Team, Orlando 2008
The morning of Saturday 2nd August saw the official tournament opening ceremony. This was truly a sight to behold with teams from many countries in attendance, and over a thousand competitors lined up waiting to perform. The tournament day was a fantastic event in which the UK competitors won 46 medals (This is an outstanding result in such a prestigious tournament). More importantly everybody enjoyed the experience.
Sunday 3rd August was testing day with all UK Masters taking recertification tests, which lasted 2 hours. Following this the Masters assisted with the testing of 1st to 3rd Dan black belts, Except that is for Master Christian Hellings who followed the re-certification test with a promotion test for 5th Dan under Chun Jae Nim C. S. Kim.
Medal Tally
| Name | Sparing | Forms | Destruction | Weapons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Blackwell | Bronze | Gold | Gold | |
| Ieuan Blackwell | Gold | Bronze | Gold | |
| Sian Moran | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |
| David Eynon | Bronze | Silver | Gold | |
| Stephanie Eynon | Gold | Gold | Gold | Gold |
| Darryl Collier | Gold | Silver | Gold | |
| Hannah Bevan | Silver | Gold | Gold | |
| Roland Collier | Gold | |||
| Andrew Charles | Silver | Bronze | Bronze | |
| Jack Charles | Silver | |||
| Aled Richards | Gold | Silver | Gold | |
| Morgan Richards | Bronze | Bronze | ||
| Deb Todd | Silver | Silver | ||
| Cameron Todd | Gold | Silver | Bronze | |
| Kerion Todd | Bronze | Silver | Bronze | |
| Louise Dow | Gold | Silver | Gold | |
| Lewis Richards | Gold | Gold |
Thoughts on the 10th World Championship
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Stephanie Eynon
"I have returned stronger and more confident, not just in Tang Soo Do but also in myself"
"I am much more focused"
"The entire experience was awesome"
Hannah Beven
"This is something that I am extremely honoured to have experienced"
"I have made friendships that I will always treasure"
"it was the common experience of the Championship that brought us together"
"I have returned from Orlando a different person, no greater no lesser, simply enriched"
"I recommend anyone who has the opportunity to take part in such an event to seize it!"
Louise Dow
"The experience of Orlando has given me more than I ever expected"
"Tang Soo Do is filling an absence in my life that I didn’t know I had"
"I feel like I now have more confidence to face new challenges"
"We went out as a team and came back more like a family"
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